Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 721 The Strange Northern Mage
Perhaps it's because this knight commander once drew his sword against Valera?
Then, Lowry also had a very bad relationship with the Montes territory and ignored them completely... The remaining officers in the North who had old ties with the Montes, while they would definitely choose the Montes territory over Fabrice, would still lean slightly towards the Montes territory over Lowry.

Of course, all of this can change if Lowry takes the initiative to speak up.

Even if she didn't want it, Lowry could still find Travis for help.

But Lowry clearly had no intention of speaking.

Travis did admire Lowry, but he wasn't that proactive... He had been trying to reduce the influence of the great nobles on the King's army, and he couldn't possibly contradict himself.

Unexpectedly, Lowry obtained all of these with great ease in the end.

Ezra, who came from the King's army, could not possibly abandon his daughter for these interests that he did not care much about.

Travis suddenly chuckled: "Lowry, you're really lucky."

Valera naturally understood what had happened.

The siblings were actually very aware of the limitations of their territory.

Especially after the Gale Wolves became increasingly organized and disciplined, the territory's requirements for knights began to change.

There are indeed fewer and fewer things that high-ranking knights can do.

Including the area around the large iceberg.

Adventurers feared the talking wolves more than human knights.

It's fine in the short term, but... once the number of knights increases, we'll definitely have to find other solutions.

Before reporting these matters to Lori, her subordinates definitely needed to make plans first.

Raising questions without offering solutions... that's putting your lord in a difficult position, not something a proper subject should do.

But none of the methods they devised were as logical and natural as this one.

Therefore, Valera understood the deeper meaning behind Travis's words.

But she refused: "Baron Lowry once said that people in Green Maple Territory are allowed to come and go freely as long as they abide by the law and work diligently in their positions for more than three years."

No need to return the equipment, nor is there any need to compensate for the cost of basic potions.

This is really easy for a normal person to do.

The current outcome is indeed good, but it is not the tranquility, inaction, peace, and joy that the Baron desired.

I think it aligns more with Your Majesty's wishes.

Travis ignored her little bit of sarcasm, focusing more on a key point in Valera's words: "Only three years?"
It takes more than three years to train an apprentice into a proper knight!

How could Lowry be making such a loss... Oh..."

Travis was starting to realize what was happening.

A knight who chooses to leave the territory of Lori because he wants a better future must have reached a certain level before making such a decision.

He must have stayed in his territory for a long time before.

Only those with impure motives and excessive self-confidence who place too much importance on their own interests would ponder these three years.

Even if he wanted to scheme, he must have known that lower-ranking knights would be more comfortable in Green Maple Territory, where basic potions were available.

He would definitely choose to finish these three years, since it would take about two years for the drug to be digested after it's taken.

Lowry didn't have any expectations for these people; he just wanted them to make up the numbers.

Especially in previous years, when the adventurers were still quite rampant, having more manpower and patrolling more frequently would inevitably make those bullying adventurers much more obedient.

As for the resources wasted... knowing Lowry as he did, these low-grade potions were definitely just practice stuff for him.

Once that child decides to do something, he will practice from the beginner level to mastery, and the warehouse is piled high with all sorts of practice materials.

In Travis's opinion, Lowry's talent wasn't the extraordinary kind, but he was really hardworking.

Moreover, I don't find the tedious and repetitive work scary at all.

He can repeat anything hundreds or thousands of times.

He's clearly a short-tempered kid... I really don't know how he developed this personality.

Unfortunately, Lori doesn't like doing businesses with low profit margins, fixed prices, a wide variety of products, and unsustainable operations... Although this potion may not seem like much, to actually learn how to make it, one would need to be a level 3 or higher magic-based professional.

Lori's mages, scholars, and apprentices have all entered the equipment manufacturing industry; to then have them learn potion making would be...

Even if Lowry didn't care about those terrible wastes, these people didn't have enough energy to study and work on multiple fronts.

It would be more cost-effective to use these potions to support the Knights, since Lori is too lazy to sell them anyway.

These are methods that others cannot replicate. Travis shook his head, though he vaguely felt something was amiss, but decided not to dwell on these trivial matters any longer.

Anyway, Valera wouldn't deceive him on important matters; as for other things, if he was fooled, he could only blame himself for not being smart enough or quick-witted enough.

He looked at Valera: "So, when can I go see Miss Hamilton?"

Valera breathed a slight sigh of relief upon realizing that she had led His Majesty the King astray, and a perfect smile appeared on her face: "Please allow me..." She glanced back twice before continuing, "to leave for a moment."

“Okay.” Travis nodded in agreement with her suggestion.

Travis had assumed that Valera would choose to speak with the Hamilton monks who had been watching everything from the terrace.

But the girl simply walked around them and went out onto the terrace.

A hint of confusion appeared on Travis's face... Serena left him on the terrace just now, not because these mages could take charge, but because she handed him over to Valera to receive.
Although he had always known that Ezra and his wife were unconventional, he still thought... could people really be this eccentric?
Oh, right, there was also the heroine Evelyn Costa and her group just now... but that doesn't make sense!

Serena was still alive back then!
What is she thinking?
Although Travis did appear in Hamilton as the patriarch, not His Majesty the King… Armies should have explained this upon his return… but it can’t just be left like that…

Does calling her name really bother her that much?
But we can't expect him to call her Countess like everyone else, can we?

What about Ezra? Why not just call her by her name, like "Madam"?

Travis, momentarily doubting the thought process of his own people, couldn't help but look at the mages.

A monk who had been eagerly waiting over there immediately came over.

Unfortunately, before he could say more than a few words, Travis closed his eyes in despair... This was not Ezra's direct subordinate, but a local mage from the North.

He was a mage who had served three generations of border lords: Montes, Leon, and Ezra, yet none of them had ever been willing to give him a significant position.

No wonder Montes wavered immediately after discovering that Lori was a potential mage, and began to reconsider his decision, which led to his well-informed former in-laws taking action ahead of time... ultimately resulting in a surprise attack that made the Montes family a laughing stock.

If he only had this kind of level 10 mage with an extremely quick mind and versatile skills, he would definitely want to have another capable ally.

No matter how cold her son was to the family, he wouldn't necessarily cause the Montes family to disappear. He wouldn't easily betray the family... Although Montes wasn't that good to Lori, he wasn't so bad that the child would kill even the innocent members of his own family.

Judging from the reactions of Lowry and Agris later on, his hesitations weren't exactly...daydreaming.

Unfortunately, he had raised his two sons, along with their maternal families, too well. Even though he knew the chances were slim and that Lady Yages and Lori would not agree to Montes's repeated attempts, he still couldn't change his mind.

They might even feel that Montes' reaction is a betrayal of them.

This is the consequence of raising children to be too pampered.

Travis sighed inwardly... Perhaps it was because he was about to leave the throne and leave so many people who had once followed and been loyal to him, but lately he couldn't help but reminisce wherever he went.

In particular, the North, the place where he had fought for nearly three years.

Leon and Ezra don't need to worry about these things. They have great scholars around them, so they can simply use these mages as henchmen.

Although they mainly rely on scrolls and most of the magic arrays are inscribed from memory, both Yuri and Bowen can complete the basic work of mages of the same level.

Travis managed a couple of perfunctory replies before quickly seizing an opportunity to end the conversation abruptly.

The mage, though perhaps somewhat flexible in character, was still quite intelligent and could naturally understand His Majesty's thoughts, so he quickly returned to his original position.

That's right, none of them left.

They had grown accustomed to being ostracized by the border lords.

Although they missed Montes, who had to compromise with them, they still preferred the prosperous North they now lived in.

Previously, they had to personally climb up and down to inscribe magic arrays in order to earn money to buy various magical materials.

But now, they only need to stay at home and train a few more apprentices skilled in making basic potions to meet their daily needs... The people of the North can afford to buy medicine when they go out.

They make some advanced alchemical products themselves, so they don't have to leave their homes all year round.

No one misses Montes of the past.

Although that guy is good at the art of compromise and can make them feel very important... he has no money, so who cares about his impeccable manners?

These two lords are better now.

At least they allow adventurers with purchasing power to appear in their own territory.

That's why the mages couldn't leave at this time... They were initially just doing their duty, but now they're worried that their territory will have to change lords again because there's no one to succeed them.

They don't care whether something is divine or not, but it's best if people don't change.

They must wait for the final result.

Travis was a little puzzled by their reaction, but he didn't care much... Valera could wipe them out by herself, so it would be easier for him to deal with them.

(End of this chapter)